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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCorona del Mar BID Minutes 01/26/2012 1 Corona del Mar Business Improvement District Board Meeting Minutes January 26, 2012 CdM Chamber of Commerce Offices Board Members Present: Bernie Svalstad, Jim Walker, Ali Zadeh and Keith Dawson Ex Officio: Scott Palmer Guest(s): Amy Senk,/ Linda Leonhard / Mayor Nancy Gardner/ Jim Mosher/ Karen Tringali/ Kathy Leek 1. Call to Order at 7:34 AM/Comments -A quorum was in place. 2. Approval of the Minutes Bernie pointed out that “an landscape” should be replaced by “a landscape” in Section 6. With that correction duly noted, MOTION: Jim Walker moved to approve the Minutes of the December 1, 2011 meeting. Ali Zadeh seconded and the Motion was unanimously approved. 3. Public Comments Karen Tringali announced that the date of the Annual Town Meeting is April 18, 2012 – a date previously noted by the BID. Linda Leonard suggested that the BID and the Residents Association split the cost of the banner announcing the event. See comments in Marketing/Annual Town Meeting below. Kathy Leek dba Community Relations Partner made a brief presentation describing her services on behalf of the Marine Avenue BID, including promoting local businesses to hotels and apartment complexes. Ms. Leek indicated that she would be willing to make her services available to the members of the CDM BID to promote local businesses. BID board member Ali Zadeh announced that he had submitted a proposal to the City to operate a food concession at Main Beach which will be called “The Porthole”. Ali indicated that the City had received five responses to the RFP to operate the concession and that the City would be 2 conducting interviews in the coming weeks with the expectation that the concessionaire would be up and running by Memorial Day. BID board member Bernie Svalstad announced that board member Tina Hoover would be returning to the BID board following a leave of absence and would be attending the February meeting. 4. City Council Report Mayor Nancy Gardner reported that the City Council was in the process of prioritizing projects based on he availability of funds and the degree of importance of various pending projects to the City. She indicated that the Bicycle Committee was being re-activated and that it would concern itself with general public safety in addition to bicycle safety. Mayor Gardner added that the airport agreement would be the focus of the City Council during next few months and that the City would be negotiating with the FAA to extend the terms and conditions of the existing agreement. 5. Vision Plan Update Vision Plan Sub-Committee Report: Bernie reported that the sub-committee had met and had completed the preparation of the Restaurant Survey regarding parking issues. He represented a copy of the final draft of survey and a cover letter which will be sent out to the 52 restaurant owners in CDM. The indicated response date for the survey to be returned is February 15, 2012. The BID board members volunteered to contact any restaurant owners who have not responded to the survey to encourage them to respond. Linda Leonard suggested providing a similar survey to all business owners – not just restaurants. The goal is to have the survey results available for the Annual Town Meeting in April. RE-ACTION ITEM: Scott Palmer was re-volunteered to obtain a copy of the parking requirements from the City to enable the BID board to evaluate what the parking requirements are for the various types of businesses in the community . Ali Zadeh noted his opinion that more than 50% of his customers at The Port Restaurant are walk-ins who do not require parking. Jim Walker pointed out that although a large number of his customers at the Bungalow Restaurant are walk-ins, he is held to the same parking requirement as a restaurants like Islands which has little or no walk-in business. It was agreed that new parking restrictions need to take into consideration “destination” versus “non-destination” restaurants. Scott Palmer suggested that a short survey card could be added to the check presenter asking customers to indicate how they got to the restaurant (by foot, car, taxi, etc). The same survey card could inquire how the customer heard about the restaurant. 6. Revitalization/CAP Committee Report Bernie presented the plans for the parkway and median improvements beginning at Avocado and continuing to Dahlia avenues that were approved at the recent CAP meeting . A tree and landscaping plan was also presented. A question was raised as to whether approval of the proposed parkway and median improvements would have to be submitted to and approved by the Coastal Commission. Jim Walker expressed concern regarding the safety of the crosswalk at Carnation 3 Avenue given its close proximity to the intersection of PCH and McArthur Blvd. Nancy commented that the parkway and median improvement plan would have to be consistent with the City’s master plan. 7. Administrative & Financial Report Scott Palmer presented the BID’s year-to-date Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet and indicated that the BID presently has $130,263.51 cash on hand after payment of DecraLite’s $22k invoice for Christmas decorations. A discussion ensued concerning the City’s request to be reimbursed for $20,000 for the Orchid Avenue flashing cross-walk. Per the Action Item on this issue, Bernie reported that his research had uncovered an e-mail that made reference to the BID’s obligation to contribute $20,000 to the construction of the crosswalk but that he could find no other confirmation. Scott Palmer added that his records showed no invoice having been submitted for the requested funds, nor was there a record of payment of $20,000 for the BID to the City for the project. MOTION: Keith Dawson moved that upon receipt of written confirmation from the City’s finance department confirming that the City did not invoice the BID nor receive the BID’s agreed-upon $20,000 contribution for Orchid Avenue flashing crosswalk, the BID will pay the $20,000 from funds earmarked for revitalization purposes. Jim Walker seconded and the Motion was unanimously approved. 8. Marketing Website Upgrade: Linda reported that because of the possibility of using one website for all four BIDs and the proposed general restructuring of the BID, no further time and effort would be expending researching website upgrades until a determination is made whether or not a combined BID website will become a reality. Linda indicated that the website content is being revised to remove the VIP program and Christmas promotions/ads. Linda added that the restaurant survey would be posted on the website along with references to the newly adopted moniker of “Vision Plan 2020 ”. She also indicated that the social media presence would be updated. Beautification Award: Linda reported that per the BID’s resolution, the Beautification Award was represented to United Oil at Marigold and PCH. Avila’s is next in line to receive the award. Tree Pruning at Zinc Café: Linda reported that the Hong Kong Orchid trees in front of Zinc Café had been excessively pruned. Scott Laidlaw met with City officials to inspect the over-pruning but was no present to report what the results of the meet were. Nancy indicated that if the landscaping contractor who pruned the trees is determined to have acted improperly, the City would pursue the contractors for any damage done to the trees, including replacement with trees of comparable maturity. /// 4 2012 Business Directory: Linda reported that the 2012 Business Directory is in production and that the BID pages are being designed. She indicated that the directory is scheduled to come out at the end of February. “Event Night”: Nancy reported having spoken with the wife of a local jeweler who suggested implementing an “Event Night” once a month in CDM to promote local businesses. Linda added that a merchant had suggested a wedding focus event to be marketed to include dress shops , jewelers, flower shops, photographers, etc. Linda indicated that if there is sufficient interest among a specific group of merchants, they need to provide her with their marketing plan and she could help them promote the event using BID and Chamber resources. Linda noted that she researched the feasibility of a “Summer Walk” aka “Corona Del Mar Night” several years ago and that she would provide her previous findings to the Board. Bernie suggested using a trolley or shuttle bus to facilitate movement up/down PCH for a once-a-month event. Linda suggested that promotional material could be circulated in advance for any businesses wishing to participate in the event. Bernie suggested starting the monthly event in April after the weather warms up and continuing through the summer for a period of approximately 8 months. Karen Tringali offered to include promotional material for the event in the Residents Association newsletter which goes out to approximately 6,300 CDM residents in late March or early April. Annual Town Meeting: Linda suggested the possibility of announcing the Annual Town Meeting using the banner at Marguerite and PCH but cautioned that increased attendance for the “event” may overwhelm available refreshments (noting that donations for food and wine may not be available this year). It was the general consensus that limiting attendance to residents and business owners would not be feasible or even desirable as the goal of such gatherings is the exchange of information. 9. Chamber Report Linda reported that the Chamber has begun work on the Scenic 5K . She added that the Mayor’s Dinner is scheduled for February 3rd and that the event is already sold out. Linda reported that the OPIS Network event took place on January 21st. Nancy commented that there were approximately 200 participants which was approximately half of last year’s attendance - perhaps the result of inclement weather on the day of the event. Linda raised the question of insurance for the BID. Scott Palmer indicated that he had received confirmation from the City’s risk manager that the BID does not need errors and omissions insurance coverage because the BIDs are extensions of the City. However, Scott pointed out the distinction between liability insurance for special events and errors and omissions insurance. ACTION ITEM: Scott Palmer indicated that he would get clarification from the City’s risk manager as to what insurance is and is not required for the BID and would report back to the Board. 5 10. Adjournment -The meeting adjourned at 9:01 a.m. Next meeting: February 23, 2012